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At the Pacific Islands Forum in Majuro (Marshall Islands), sixteen states renewed on Wednesday, September 4, their commitment to fight climate change, notably through marine protected areas.

Pacific islands are directly threatened by the rise in sea levels: some atolls stand just 2-3 meters above the surface. The Majuro Manifesto is a call for immediate action, and will be presented at the United Nations general assembly in New York.

Marine protected areas are part of the answer, and the Forum turned the spotlight on the Micronesia Challenge (MC). Launched in 2006, this program aims to conserve at least 30 percent of near-shore marine resources by 2020 across the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.

Recognizing its role in strengthening marine protected-area management in the region, two leading environmental organizations completed in Majuro their financial commitments to the Micronesia Challenge. Conservation International (CI) completed its $1 million grant to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) completed its own $1 million pledge to the Federated States of Micronesia.